Expert: nick mccann - 5/7/2008

Question
I bought a Oriental Lilly from Walmart last week for 50 cents.Now I do not know what to do with it.The flowers have been cut off and the plant is about 14 inches high.Do I plant it outside? Will it come back next year? And can I keep it in side like a house plant? I'd like to keep it inside.Please help!!
Chelle

Answer
Chelle, it grows from a bulb, and after flowering, its foliage will eventually die back to the ground; usually this won't happen until fall, then they rest for the winter, only to begin growing again in the spring, these you bought were obviously pushed to bloom early by the nursery, hence the flowering sequence having already taken place; wait and watch, and only water them sparingly, they may flower again for you before fall, then as I stated, they will naturally die back to the soil surface. Nick